Electrical push-button.



No. 859,367. PATENTED JULY 9, 1907.

PI WI ELEGTRIGAL PUSH BUTTON. APPLICATION rnnn'mn. a. 1907.

avwento'c v We M' Quorum UNKTEDSTA'EES PA ljlihli l ltl'llll lltltlh W. (JOHN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELE CTRIGAL PUSH-BUTTON.

Application, filed March 5.1907- SGTiitl N0. 360,721.

To all 'll'llfHll it. only crnm'rn:

lie it known that l, l-nmmmm; \Y. tonrz, 1t citizen of the lfnited States, residing at New York, countyol New Yorlgand State of NcwYork. have invented ecr tain new-and uselul improvements in llleetrical lush- Buttons, of which the following is a specification.

.\ly invention relates to electrical puslnhutlons. particularly those known as "midget push'huttons.

Midget' push-buttons are those small electrical push-buttons which are intended to be sunk in the object. to which they are ultached. and to be more or less inconspicuous. I

In midget." push-buttoi'is heretofore generally employed. there has been more or less electrical and mechanical weakness for a. variety of reasons. among which may he mentioned that the small coil springs which are usually employed to return the puslbhutton or finger-piece to normal position become weak and do not. properly respond and permit short-circuiting ol' the contacts: the insulated circuit wires are more or less exposed at. the rear of the hack plate of the button. lending to induce short-cireuiting; screws are employed for attaching the. circuit. wires to the contacts which also loosen and tend to cause shortcircuiting; and this class of push-buttons are moreor less troublesome to install.

The objects of my present invention are to overcome the defects heretofore incident to "mi-:lget push-buttons and to provide push-butt on of this class which will he extremely simple, strong and durable, can be iminufactured inexpensively and he made very small without impairing its usefulness: will be easy to install/amt in which binding-screws for the wires will be eliminated, the old form of coilspring done away with, and novel features provided which insure reliability of operation at all times. y

In carrying out the invention, I provide a novel form of spring, associated with novel t'asteningineans for the wire terminals, novel means for preventing outer exposure of bare parts of the wire, and provide an improved shell, as well as other details of construction, all of which are fully set forth hereinafter and recited in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a. side elevation; Fig. 2, a vertical section, showing the wire terminals; Fig. 3, a plan View of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a detail side elevation of the back-piece: Fig. 5, a plan view thereof; Fig. 6, a bottom View thereof; and Fig. 7. a detail perspective of the spring.

The containing shell or case l is of metal, such as polished brass, and provided with corrugated screwthreads 2 on its body, while its mouth is equipped with an integralrimor flange 3 which extends in- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1907.

Wnrdly as well :s outwardly and provides a retaining head t. The exterior conformation ol the screw threads assists in holding the shell in the hole in which it is inserted when installed.

The numeral 5 designates the haclepiecc which is of glazed porcelain and of circular shape with sc1'e\\'-.

threads ti corresponding to the throsds 2 so that. this hack-piece is adapted to sercw'into the end oi the shell 1. tine lace ol' the hack-piece is provided with an in tegral part 7 in the form of a truncated square pyramid which serves as a spreader for the m ihle contact.

in the rear or bottom of the hock-p -ce 5 is a slit. 8 to receive a screw-driver to screwlthe hack-piece into the shell 1 or unscrew it. The hack-piece has wirereceiving holes 9 which, for a certain distance, are sutllcicntly large to accommodate the insulation of the wire and then they continue of smaller size at 10 and open out at opp p site sides of the spread. T 7', these holes being of the proper size to accommodate the bare wire only.

Extending transversely through the lower portion oi the spreader '7, are apertures 11 and 12, the former being intended for the reception of the terminal wire it) and the latter for the reception of the terminal wire 10" whose ends are bent down, as shown. i

The numeral l3 represents a U-shaped piece of metal of suitable thickness, having inherent. resiliency and heing of unproxinuttcly the width of the baso'oi the spreader 7 and straddling said spreader so that the legs of this spring are in a position to be pressed against the terminals 10" and 10 when said spring is pressed inwardly. I

At 14 there is shown a circular disk-oi insulating material, such as celluloid, pearl or rubber, which lies against the bridge of the spring 13 and is of sufficient diameter to move easily within the shell land he retained, against outwnrd displacement, by the flange or head 4. Normally the resiliency of the spring -13 causes the said spring to be displaced toward the outer end of shell 1 so that the legs of the spring are out of contact with the terminals 10 and 10 I When the disk or push-button l4 is pressed upon, the legs of a shell having a screw-threaded part on both its interior and exterior, or a baseor back-piece having a screwthreaded part to engage the interior screw threads of the shell the exterior screw threads beingexposed, electrical contacts within the shell, and a push-button for causing engagement of said contacts.

2. in an electrical push-button. the combination with a spr ider and means for holding the wire terminals, of an expansible and contractibie contact adapted to be pressed over,the spreader to complete the circuit, said retract i'tsell' cont. ,t beina adapted to automatically when released and break the circuit.

3. In an electrical push-button, the combination with a spreadcrand means for holding: the wire terminals, of a substantially Ushaped expansiblc and contractible contact adapted to be pressed over the spreader to complete the circuit, said contact being adapted to automatically retract itself when released and break the circuit.

4. in an electrical push-button, the combination with a spreader of general pyramidal form and means for holdinc the wire terminals, of a substantially U-shaped expansible. and contractiblc contact adapted to he pre d over the spreader to complete the circuit, said contact being adapted to automatically retract itself.\vl1en re-' leased and break the circuit 5. In an electrical push-button, the combination with a spreader having openings to receive the wire terminals, of an expansible and contractible contact adapted to be pressed over the spreader to complete the circuit, said contact being; adapted to automatically retract itself when released and break the circuit.

6. in an electrical push-button, the combination with a shell or case, of a hack-piece associated therewithhaving on its inner face a tapering spreader provided with wirereceiving, openings, said back-piece having apertures for the passage .of the wii e terminals, and an expansiblc and rontractible contact movable in the shell and adapted to be pressed over the spreader to complete the circuit, said contact being adapted to automatically retract itself when released and'break the circuit when released.

in testimony whereof, I hereunto atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

i lti'lDi lItHK W. (TOHN.

Witnesses 

